Rediscovering the Light
by SailorPhi
Summary: After being frozen for multiple accounts, Brea must rebuild after her time in jail. With the coming of her second pet, she gains a strange jewel...one that holds in it the fate of Neopia. Will she discover it's power in time?
1. Torn Away

**Author's Notes~> **This is a semi-true story...it's about my Wonderbreadgirl account, along with several other accounts I had adopted, being frozen because I had multiple accounts, and about me rebuilding. So far only one chapter is done, and I haven't decided if I want to finish it yet or not. I was thinking about writing the whole thing and submitting it to the Times, but when I started the second chapter I was struck by a severe case of 'I think my writing sucks' syndrome, so I might be abandoning it. Who knows :-P First thing I've ever shared with the public, so try not to be to harsh...but feel free to post constructive criticism, encouragement, or even flames. I mean, what kind of writing is it if not even one person in the world is offended or dislikes it? :-P Anyhow, I hope you enjoy...oh, by the way, my new name on Neopets is ChaoticFyre...drop me a neomail sometime ^_~

Brea froze, pressing her back firmly against the cloud wall of her Faerieland mansion and curling into the deeps shadows of the corner. She was only 2 feet from the doorway to the family storage room, a room that housed a secret transportation pad to the families other three homes…the pad that she hoped would lead to freedom.

She stealthily slipped around the corner of the doorway, ears perked to pick up the sound of any approaching Neopolice, and found herself in a large room packed from top to bottom with items that she, packrat that she was, had saved for absolutely no apparent purpose. There were 3 neopets in the room, 2 staring at the transportation pad as if it was going to attack them and the third staring at Brea with wide, fear-filled, black eyes. Brea's other 27 pets, pets she was now being hunted for owning, had already traveled through the transport to Kyonshi Manor, an unfinished castle in the Spooky Woods. Brea looked sharply at the skunk Mynci and Buzz that were staring at the transport and spoke in a whisper.

"Momonchichi, Dweller001…you have to get out of here NOW!"

She slipped over to them and enveloped them both in a hug, pecking them each on the forehead and pushing them towards the transport immediately. Momonchichi looked at her with sorrowful eyes as he stepped onto the transport pad, dematerializing and appearing several continents away and a few thousand feet closer to the ground. Dweller hesitated, glancing at Brea and then looking back at the transport.

"I love you, ze wonderbread." He whispered softly before following in Mo's footsteps. Brea choked back a sob…Dweller had not once in their time together ever spoken those three words to her.

Brea's dark purple eyes turned to meet a star Zafara who still beheld her with a countenance that betrayed great fear.

"Ivyblue…" She whispered, tears filling her eyes and threatening to over flow. She strode to the zafara and scooped her up into a loving hug.

"I love you, Bray." Ivy replied, her voice quaking.

"I love you too, sweetie. Never forget that." Brea shut her eyes for a moment and then opened them again, her face changing to show a firm sense of resolve.

"Now, you have to listen to what I say and follow my instruction as well as you can…do you understand?"

Ivy nodded, her face set seriously.

"You're the oldest, so you're going to have to take care of the family after this." A crystal tear escaped Brea's eye and landed on the floor of the room.

"But Brea…you're coming with us, aren't you?" Ivy's voice was slightly panicked and quaked fearfully. Her owner's face gave her all the answer she needed, and a sob escaped her throat.

"You have to come, Brea!! I can't care of 29 pets! Please, you can't just leave us!" Brea's face twisted painfully but finally settled on an expression of rage and sorrow.

"I won't have my pets living a life of exile because of mistakes I made."

As she finished speaking, a large crash resounded from the first floor of the mansion, and Brea set her face firmly, looking Ivy in the eye.

"Now listen…as soon as you get to Kyonshi Manor, I want you to destroy the transport. Don't argue, because I'll be destroying the one on this end anyway. Get out of the house as quickly as possible, and use the money in the bank to build a new home somewhere. There should be enough to pay for a reasonably big house, and some extra for food and toys unless you can find a way to make enough money to support the family. Tell them that I expect them all to help out with making money, because life isn't going to be easy for any of you anymore. Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself, and whatever you do, DO NOT come looking for me. I love you Ivy…I love all of you. Now and forever. Don't any of you forget that."

Brea put Ivy gently on the ground and nudged her towards the transport, tears streaming down her face and her throat constricting painfully.

"Brea…" Ivy whispered, the blue fur on her face dampened with tears. "I can't…"

A crash, louder and closer this time, echoed through the room.

"GO!!" Brea ordered, holding back a sob.

Ivy quickly reached out and squeezed her owner's hand, leaving a necklace with a small star charm on it in her care, before reluctantly stepping onto the transport. She mouthed 'I love you' as she was dematerialized, and Brea stood watching the spot where she had disappeared, slipping the thin chain of the necklace over her neck. It was the last Brea ever saw of her pets. Just as she strode forward to punch in the code that would destroy the transport, a man in Neopolice garb burst into the crowded room clutching a gun.

"FREEZE!" He ordered firmly, waving his gun menacingly. 

Brea's eyes narrowed at him and she slowly backed up so that she could reach the keypad next to the transport.

"You will NEVER catch them." She let out in a choked voice, her face contorting in sorrow. Without another word she turned around and began quickly typing in the short code that would assure her pets' freedom.

A loud bang echoed through the room as the Police let out a huge stun blast, and pain shot out in Brea's shoulder, quickly spidering through her like ice in her veins. She felt as the stun fluid caused her body to slow down, as it began to temporarily shut down her body's functionality. __

One key. Just one key.

Even thinking was painful…but the one key was so close, just millimeters away. Ignoring the horrible pain lancing through her body at every movement, she forced her finger to move, to hit the '9' and complete the sequence. She collapsed on the ground just as the transport fizzled and disappeared. The policeman strode forward cautiously, nudging her with her boot before reaching down to remove a walkie-talkie from his belt loop. He spoke into it quickly, briefing the other Policemen in the house.

"Suspect has been detained, currently in a stunned state. It's assumed that her pets escaped through a transport that has been destroyed, but our real goal for coming here is complete. One less multiple-account user running free in the world of Neopia. Request for NeoMedics and Police backup on the top floor of the neohome."

He looked at the fallen girl with slightly concealed regret.

"I'm sorry. I know you loved them, but rules are rules…and I have to do my job."


	2. Welcome Back

Brea ran her thin fingers through her long, blond hair, then pushed a strand of dark purple, which was streaked through the front, out of her eyes and behind her ear. She glanced around the court room slowly, drinking in the sights. Along the uncomfortable bench she was seated on were around 10 other previously frozen Neopians who had served their time and were ready to start over...each of them had a different look on their face, ranging from ecstatic glee at finally getting out of the hellhole that people called prison, to looks of sorrow on some, sorrow that had been there since the day they stepped into the prison. Brea herself was sure to keep up a mask of indifference...none of the people cared how she felt anyway, so it wasn't like they needed to know. 2 years with nothing to do but dwell on the past had left their toll on the 18-year-old, and she no longer trusted anybody or anything. 

As the judge, clad in black, strode into the room each of the ex-prisoners stood...Brea remained seated until a guard beside her prodded her into raising to her feet. She shot him a nasty glare then looked back at the judge, who was motioning for everybody to sit. 

"That accomplished a lot." She mumbled, squirming slightly on the seat and trying to get comfortable. 

The judge cleared his throat loudly and picked up a large stack of papers, flipping through them carelessly. After quickly looking over each one he set most of the papers down, only keeping one. 

"Wonderbreadgirl?" He asked, his eyes turning towards the bench of people who had been frozen. 

_First. Joy. _Brea thought, standing up silently. 

"Served 2 years for having 30 pets, eh? Were you using them to cheat, then?" 

"I adopted them because they had no homes, not because I needed more money. Believe me, I had plenty of NP and items, and I DIDN'T cheat to get it." 

The judge nodded at her and looked at the paper again. 

"Well, I can see no reason to keep you here any longer. Welcome back, Wonderbreadgirl. There will be a bus leaving for the registration center as soon as the rest of these people have been through their trial. You can feel free to wait inside or out, whichever you choose." 

Without another word Brea walked to the back of the courtroom where two huge double doors lead to the outside world...a world she hadn't been part of for just over two years. The weather outside was amazing...the sky was almost completely clear, but was dotted in several places with small, white clouds. The sunlight playing across her skin, warming it quickly...freedom to go outside had been one of the things she missed most during her time in the prison. The limit had been one hour a day outside at most, and that was only when the wardens felt like keeping an eye on all of the prisoners. 

Brea turned with a start as the large doors opened again...a young man, who looked around 20, had stepped out with a stupid grin on his face and nearly flung himself onto the ground outside of the court room, rolling luxuriantly in the grass. Brea allowed a shadow of a smile to play across her lips as she watched him. 

"Sure is good to be back, dontcha think?" He asked, his voice thick with an Australian accent, as he grinned up at her. She immediately sobered, allowing a finger to brush over the small star charm hanging around her neck. 

"It'd be better if everything wasn't gone..." She tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to overflow, but one managed to escape and leave a trail down her face. The man stood quickly and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. 

"Wherever they are, you just have to remember that they're safe. They're ok, and none of them will ever forget you."

Brea gave a quick nod, then looked away from the man, regaining control of her emotions. She forced a small smile onto her lips before looking back at him. Sliding down to sit on the ground, back against a thick, white column, Brea allowed herself to think of the first time she had started in Neopia...

_"We have no idea who you are, wonderbreadgirl, or where you came from...but after a lot of discussion the faerie's have decided to let you attempt to integrate." The doctor said, staring solemnly across the table at her. A smile passed over his features and he lowered his voice. "The Darkness Faerie who found you said she wishes that she had just kept you to use for some experiments, so you should consider yourself lucky."_

_She let out a soft laugh before snapping her mouth shut as the Darkness Faerie entered the room. _

_"They think you're half-Vampire. A dark creature...good news for you, because otherwise I would have worked hard against you being allowed to integrate. Unfortunately the dark blood is marred by your one-quarter elven, one-quarter human background...but I've learned to roll with the punches. Don't expect any special help from the faeries just because you're an exception to the norm though, Wonderbread. A transport to the registration center is waiting outside, and you'll receive further instructions there."_

The Australian shook her shoulder softly, jolting her out of her memory. 

"Everyone's through now, miss. I didn't think that you wanted to be left behind." He motioned to the transport, which was now being filled by the people who had just been on trial inside. Brea gave the man an appreciative smile and stood, heading for the transport herself, he following right behind her. 

"Are you planning on creating a pet once we get there? Or perhaps going to the adoption agency?" He asked cheerily as they stepped onto the hover-bus and took the last two seats, situated in the very back. 

"Oh, no..." She said, shaking her head. "I pick up strays, usually...the pets that are hanging around in the market begging for food and money. Those're the ones who usually have the hardest times finding homes"

The Australian continued the chatter cheerfully for the entire half-hour ride, and Brea was surprised to find that she actually enjoyed his company. 

_Here I was thinking that I had become a complete anti-social. _She thought, smiling to herself as the transport pulled to a stop, finally having reached it's destination. When she stepped out of the bus, she was surprised to see that the registration center was packed and bustling...humans and half-breeds of every ethnicity imaginable all crowded around the building, attempting to get their papers of Neopian citizenship verified. The Create-A-Pet center, right next door, was equally crowded, and the food shop across the street was also bustling with people waiting impatiently for a restock. 

"All people from the prison, this way!" One of the transport drivers called, beckoning to the small group and elbowing his way through the crowd. Brea followed the pack of people, trailing just behind them but being sure to keep her eyes on the driver. He led them straight to the front of the line and stood by as each of them had their papers recreated...they were to have new lives, starting clean. Brea was the last of the ex-prisoners to step up to the window, and the woman there greeted her with a grumpy frown. 

"Name?" She snapped.

"You have me on files as Wonderbreadgirl." Brea said softly. 

"What do you want to be your new name, then, girl?" The woman talked to her like she was a disobedient four-year-old. Brea rolled her eyes, trying to make it as obvious to the woman as possible. 

"ChaoticFyre, ma'am." The woman quickly typed the name in and tapped her fingers impatiently as the registration sheet printed. When it did she quickly pulled it off of the tray and signed it, handing it to Brea and motioning to a small line on the bottom. 

"Sign your name, quickly now!" Brea reached for a pen beside the window and quickly signed her name in loopy cursive along the line. The old woman glanced at the signature sharply, gave an approving nod, then threw a small bag of NP's and a package of four items at her unceremoniously. 

"Next!" She called, before even waiting for a thank you. Brea shrugged and turned to find her way out of the crowd. She glanced down at her watch, realizing it was only 11:00 AM Neopian Standard. 

_This is going to be one long day._ She sighed.

**Author's Notes~ **Umm...I don't really have any notes, but I just wanted to let you know that that was the end of the chapter, because I'm going to reply to the reviews I got :-P

**RainbowTerrorist~** I thought so too, that's why I had them ^_~ But actually, most of them were adopted from my friend who started but then got bored...I only created three of them. I'm glad you liked the story :-)

**PsyPaw~** See above ^ Anyhow, I've written more now...and I may actually, for once, finish a story. Not a very common occurance...they usually get abandoned about halfway through :-P

**Eien Aeolaro~ **Thanks a bunch! I'm having fun writing it right now, so I probably will continue...when I start getting bored with the concept though, that's when I usually quit ^_~


	3. Home, Sweet Home

Brea stepped gratefully into her small apartment, dropping her tiny bag of items on the floor and nearly collapsing in fatigue. The day, as she judged, had been a terribly long one...though she had no desire to create or adopt a pet just yet, many of the other prisoners had been in quite a hurry to start off with their own new pet. All of the ex-prisoners had been forced to stay together...apartments had already been secured for them on Mystery Island, and they were to travel there together in the transport once everybody had finished with their papers and their pets. Of the 12 people, only one other, an old and bitter looking man with thinning white hair, had chosen not to create their pet right away. Brea's Australian friend, who went by the name of Aerik as she had discovered, had adopted a female lupe puppy named Iomegyn, who he called Meg for short. 

After all of the previously frozen people had finished up in Neopia Central, the man who had driven the transport had herded them back to their bus and steered them swiftly towards the Central Docks where the lot of them had been handed into the custody of a burly black man who owned the skiff that was to transport them to Mystery Island. The ride had been long and rather boring for most, but Aerik was still cheerfully chattering, effectively keeping Brea entertained and interested. Towards the end of the ride even his chatter had slowly ebbed away as he watched Iomegyn bounce around on the floor of the skiff and slide to and fro as the ship rocked. 

The apartments that the group was to stay at until they could afford homes were located less then a 5 minutes walk from the main Mystery Island docks, but even that short walk had been a difficult one...by the time Brea had reached her room, right next to the room that Aerik and Iomegyn had chosen, it was 11:00 pm Neopian Central, and she was exhausted...not to mention famished. Before even looking around the apartment, she rooted through her small bag of free items and pulled out a Rainbow Chia Pop, one of only two food items she had, and ate it hungrily. After the gruel that the prison called food, the pop was a delicacy and, in Brea's opinion, the best thing she had ever eaten. 

As she finished eating, she glanced around the apartment slowly...as she had expected, it was rather dilapidated...directly inside the one-roomed place and to the right was a small kitchenette, consisting of 2 white cabinets with peeling paint, a stove with one burner, a counter-top refrigerator and a small sink with a handle that looked cracked and broken even from where she was standing. To the left was a straw bed surrounded by loose pieces of the hay that made it up, with a small wooden table standing beside it and the doorway to the small closet nearby. Across the room was a dining room table made of rock with a broken leg, listing dangerously to the side, surrounded by stone chairs, and a straw sofa and chair strategically placed around a straw table to make a small 'living room' area. Another door was on that wall, one that she judged to lead to the bathroom.

She turned to the bed with a sigh...it was sure to be itchy, but she was tired enough that even if it was stone she figured she could cope. As she strode towards the bed she noticed something along the front wall beside the door that she hadn't noted previously...a full-length mirror. The reflection that she saw there was barely recognizably, and certainly not the same girl who had went into court room years ago. Once upon a time she had been the type of person that someone would describe as 'cute' or 'adorable', descriptions that her 5'1'' frame certainly encouraged. She had worn her blond hair short, just above the shoulders, and she had been rather soft looking...eyes that betrayed innocence to the world, rounded features that showed lack of physical labor. She hadn't been fat by any measure, or even plump...but she had certainly been decidedly non-muscular. Her domains had been archery, marksmanship and magic, all things that didn't require much physical exertion.

Two years in jail had changed everything about her, from her hair to her preferred fighting style. Her hair now reached nearly to her hips, still blonde with purple streaks on either side of her face. But her features had become harder, less cute and more...dangerous, maybe? Her dark purple eyes were sharp but guarded, hiding her emotions effectively from people seeking to discover them...they shared a knowledge of the world, one gained at an age too young by a person who didn't want to know. Her body was muscular now, due too her training in the martial arts by a middle-aged woman in the jail and many hours of practicing...with each movement her muscles rippled, ready to stretch or contract as their mistress willed. Along her left shoulder, the shoulder that bore her one tattoo of a black dragon with purple eyes, a blackish-purple scar spidered out, following the path that her veins made. It was a token from the stun-blast that had frozen her the night she was arrested. The x-shaped scar on her right upper arm that she had gained from a run-in with the Swamp Ghoul was faded now, noticeable only if you were looking for it. No, she wasn't cute anymore...there was an aura of mysterious beauty about her, but her days of being 'cute' were done and gone. 

_And what I wouldn't do to have those days back. _

Brea drew herself away from the mirror, shaking her head sadly, before tossing herself onto the itchy straw bed and pulling a ratty blanket over her body, quickly falling into a deep, well-deserved sleep. 

**Author's Notes~** I know, I know...not to interesting yet, but all of this is only the introduction. In the next 4 chapters or so the story of how I found my pets'll be written, and then the actual *Gasp* story-line! Aerik is imaginary, as is Iomegyn, so don't go trying to look them up on neopets. They aren't there :-P Anyhow, I wouldn't say no to a few reviews, but I'm not going to grovel for them...if you like the story so far, leave an encouragement, if not, leave a flame...if you have ideas for the story or suggestions, leave those too! ^_~


	4. Mr. Likelee

A loud, pulsing rhythm beat out from Brea's new radio as she danced around her apartment, feather duster in hand and her hair pulled back into a messy bun. It had been a long week since she had moved into the apartment, and it had made an incredibly change...the place now appeared almost livable! With the money Brea had managed to make between odd jobs, games, and items found discarded around Neopia, she had bought table cloths, curtains, new blankets and some nice little trinkets that made the place a little bit more homey. She still hadn't seen even one stray wandering around Neopia, and after talking to an old-timer she had discovered that pound surveillance had increased over the years...now any pet seen wandering about without an owner was taken directly to the Adoption Agency. Brea wasn't in any hurry to get a pet however, so it didn't bother her much...she had taken the week of freedom to build of her NP stores and gather up a few items that her pet would need when she finally found it. 

Since getting out of jail her mood had taken a turn for the pleasant...Aerik had turned out to be a very interesting, funny and smart person, and the two had formed a quick bond. Neither had shared about their past in Neopia yet, but Brea was happier with things that way...she didn't think she was ready to open up quite that much yet. Just as Brea got to the dining room table she heard a merciless pounding at her door, followed by the impatient calling of her name. 

"Come in!" She yelled, trying desperately to be heard over the music. Apparently she had succeeded, because only moments later the door to the room flew open to reveal her neighbor from across the hall, the sour man who had chosen to go without a pet as Brea had. 

"Turn this confounded music down, or off, preferably, this instant!! I'm trying to read and the music is RUINING my concentration!" He snapped irritably, frowning at the radio sitting next to Brea's bed. 

"Now, now, Mr. Likelee, this is Brea's apartment building too, you know!" Came Aerik's deep voice, thick with his Australian-accent. He had slipped inside the room just beside the grumpy old man, Meg at his heels. Though she was only a week old, she was already showing signs of becoming a beautiful, noble creature. 

Brea sighed softly as she made her way across the room, skillfully dodging a few piles of junky items that she had yet to sort through. 

"Oh, it's no problem...I was almost done anyway, and I was planning on heading over to Neopia Central for the afternoon...no reason to leave this on while I'm gone." She jabbed at the power button on the radio quickly and sent a short glare in the old man's direction, signaling for him to leave. He complied all to gladly, letting the door to the apartment shut with a bang. As soon as she judged him to be out of ear shot, Brea rolled her eyes and spoke angrily. 

"Sometimes I just CAN NOT put up with that man!!" 

Aerik grinned roguishly and walked over to her, giving her a playful poke in the side. 

"Better watch that temper of yours, Brea. There're reasons everybody is the way they are..."

"Well if he's got reasons **I** certainly don't know about them. I think he's just a bitter old man." She grumbled, loud enough for Aerik to hear. He cocked his head at her, his eyes betraying an inward debate, before speaking. 

"10 years ago he was framed for the murder of his 3 children and his wife of 25 years...He's been in prison since then. Their true killer was only discovered a few weeks ago, right before we were released. If that's not a good reason to be bitter, then I can't think of one."

Brea immediately sobered, drawing her eyebrows together and letting her lips fall into a frown. 

"I...I had no idea."

Aerik gave her a sad smile and reached up to ruffle her hair.

"That's why you shouldn't go assuming things about people, Bray." There was a short silence, and Brea allowed her gaze to sink to the floor, ashamed at her previous actions. Just as the silence was beginning to get uncomfortable, Aerik broke it.

"Don't worry yourself about it, now. Everyone struggles with judging others in some form or another, and you can't go beating yourself up for being normal. Anyhow, the reason I came over here in the first place was to ask you to head over to Central with Meg and I...we're shopping for a little Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and I wanted you to come so you don't have to spend it all alone. But as we're a bit tight on NP right now, I was hoping that maybe you could bring the dessert and drinks...we'll take care of everything else though!" He gave her a hopeful grin, and Meg gave a few small barks to show her approval. 

Brea smiled back at him, reaching down to give Meg a pat on the head. 

"I'd love to go! I was planning on heading to Central for some grocery shopping, anyway...and I always hate braving that crowded marketplace alone. And Thanksgiving dinner would be awesome...I was dreading the thought of no holiday celebration, or celebrating alone...so you've saved me! Just give me two seconds to get changed...all righty?" 

Without waiting for a reply, Brea rushed to her closet and pulled out a clean outfit, zipping into the bathroom and the back of the apartment and reappearing about a minute and a half later wearing a pair of baggy black cargo pants and a tight purple tank top, her hair out of it's bun and now flowing freely. 

"Off we go!" Aerik announced, smiling as he held the door open for both Brea and Meg. After reaching the ground floor and leaving the Mystery Island Apartment Complex, Meg bounded ahead of the two young adults, curiously sniffing at everything along the wide dirt path. Aerik lowered his voice to speak to Brea privately.

"Right now I'm saving up for a skunk paint brush for her..." He stopped for a moment, swallowing hard and shaking his head as if to clear his mind of a bad memory, before continuing. "I'm hoping to get one by Christmas...hopefully we'll have a pretty stable base of NP by then. And she doesn't know it, but today she's getting a Gruslen. She's been wanting one for a long time, but I've been holding out for a special occasion...today's Thanksgiving's Eve, so it seems like a special enough one to me." 

Brea smiled at him, realizing just how much he was willing to sacrifice for his little lupess. They spent most of the rest of the walk to the docks and the ride to Central in a comfortable silence, admiring the clear, beautiful day and enjoying each other's company.

**Author's Notes~** AIYYY!! She was supposed to meet her first pet in this chapter, but I just couldn't think of a way to go from where I am to where she meet's him in any small space of time _ Oh well, I'm sure you'll all survive having yet another filler chapter...take it as a way to get to know the characters. In the next chapter, Rayzial, Enkou, Nusutto, and a few others will be introduced...a few surprises are in store for Aerik, also. So keep reading!! (Or maybe not if it's too unbearably horrible :-P)


	5. Brains, need brains!!

"This place is always so crowded..." Brea mumbled, her eyes traveling across the wide and busy paths of Central Neopia's market. She was weary of people still, and not as trusting as she once had been, so the crowds made her uncomfortable and nervous. 

Aerik reached over to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, the other set firmly on Iomegyn's back so that he didn't misplace her in the bustle of the crowd. 

"Bray, I know that times in the prison were hard...I was there too. But you can't let constant mistrust destroy your chances in this world. People aren't as bad as you've made them out to be." He gave her a wide grin before stopping at a small market stall to eye the owner's wares. 

Brea shook her head softly. Aerik had a disconcerting way to say things that were profound and wise while still keeping a light mood, a skill that she had certainly never learned. She was intense by nature, but rarely showed her intense side to anybody but her closest and most trusted friends. Brea fell into step beside Aerik as he continued on past the stall before freezing at the misplaced sound of a loud, high-pitched cackle.

Through the crowd of people bounced a strange man that looked rather like a mix between a jack-o-lantern and a clown with a huge, canvas bag hanging around his shoulder. He stopped bouncing in front of her, looking at her with large, black eyes, before grinning and reaching into the bag. 

"A deserving person you are!!" He cackled, letting out a giggle and shoving an item into her hands before bounding off again, continuing to laugh on his way. Brea looked into her hands with wide eyes, quickly realizing that she held a skunk paint brush. 

"What are the chances?" She asked, shaking her head as she looked at the brush. Without another seconds thought she held the brush out to Aerik, placing it in his hands and nodding towards Meg. "Looks like you aren't going to have to wait until Christmas!" 

Meg bounced excitedly, giving a few short, happy barks, but Aerik frowned and pushed the brush back in her direction. 

"Brea, I can't take this...it's much to expensive to be given for no reason. Sell it! You'll have enough NP to feed yourself for a few years straight!" 

Brea shook her head and set her face stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest. 

"You'll take that brush or all kidnap Meg and paint her with it myself, Aer. And I'm dead serious, so don't think I'm joking." 

Aerik looked at the brush again, his eyebrows drawn together in thought. He allowed his eyes to wander down to Meg, who was staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes, before sighing his consent. 

"Fine, fine. I'll run her by the Rainbow Pool and finish up my shopping. We can meet at the Wishing Well in and hour or so, but don't worry about buying deserts and drinks...Meg and I'll cover it. Thanks, Bray!" He gave her a smile and a wink before wandering off, quickly getting lost in the bustling crowd. Brea smiled after him, happy that she could make he and Meg so happy without it costing her a cent. After they had wandered out of sight, Brea glanced around the market and allowed a frown to shape her features. Nothing to buy, nowhere to be for an hour, and nobody to talk to...

Finally, after a few minutes of just staring around, Brea decided to go wait at the well, which was usually decently free of people, and just relax for a few minutes. She always got high-strung after walking in the market for too long, and it wasn't particularly enjoyable for her...so she didn't see much reason to bother. The walk to the well was a long one, but there was plenty to see around the wide streets of Neopia Central, so Brea didn't get very bored. She was surprised to see a Horus soaring in the air, with no owner in sight, as she passed the pizza parlor. 

_Maybe his owner's not a flyer, and is walking beneath him somewhere. _She shrugged, mostly to herself, and continued on her way, but before long she was surprised to see another petpet that had no visible owner...a small, fly-like Zebba, with huge red eyes and stubby arms held out in front of him like a zombie. No one else seemed to notice either of the tiny creatures though, so Brea decided not to stress about it. 

Finally, she reached a small pathway that led off into the forest...it ended at a clearing that was centered around a huge, stone well, and Brea was pleased to find that it was completely void of people. She leaned against a large tree and closed her eyes, savoring the sounds of the forest and the lack of 'industrialized' noises. Her mind wandered back... 

_"Mum!" An Australian accented voice declared. "If you keep bringing home poor strays we won't have enough food to go around!" The fire Scorchio that was speaking frowned at the newest addition to the family, a fire Moehog that had just been picked up from the pound. _

_"I'm old enough to help earn my keep, Aussie." The moehog snapped, crossing his hoofed arms over his chest. _

_"Who are you calling Aussie, ya YANK?" The Scorchio growled, his eyes narrowing into slits. _

_"Firestormdragon, Raziel_Draven...stop it!" Brea commanded. "Both of you will be..."_

Her reverie was suddenly interrupted by a high-pitched British voice crying, 

"Enkou! Enkou!" 

Brea's purple eyes snapped open, and for the third time that day she saw an apparently homeless PetPet...a small Baby Fireball zipping quickly across the clearing. Without a thought, Brea bounded over to it and scooped it into her arms, hoping that it wasn't ACTUALLY made out of fire. It looked up at her with wide black eyes, but was completely silent, glancing every couple of seconds towards a full bush nearly right next to where Brea had been standing. 

Brea's eyes narrowed, and she looked around the clearing suspiciously, her slightly pointed ears perked. Just as her fears were calmed, she picked up the drifting sound of whispers, coming from the same bush that the fireball seemed fixated with. She walked quietly to it, noticing that the whispers had ebbed away quickly, and, fast as lightning, reached into the bush and grasped the first thing her hand came in contact with, yanking it out unceremoniously. 

It was a fire moehog. 

"Not the pound!!" He squealed, his British accent clear. "Please, anything but that! You can't split us up!" 

"Calm down, kid! I'm not going to take you to the pound, though I would appreciate if you told me what your doing hiding by the wishing well." A bird-like screech drew her attention for a moment, and she spied a Horus with a curling Egyptian tattoo around his eye glaring at her from a thick, overhanging branch. 

"And for that matter," Brea said, looking from the Horus to the Baby Fireball. "Which one of these is yours?" 

"Well..." The moehog looked around suspiciously, apparently debating whether to trust Brea or not, before finishing his sentence. "I'd be glad to tell you, if you'd just let me down. It's not exactly comfortable being held up by your hair, you know." He looked up, to where Brea's hand was tightly wrapped in his flaming mane. 

"Ohh...right!" Brea carefully placed him on the ground, keeping a tight hold on the fireball, who was squirming dangerously. "I'm Brea." She said, hoping it prompted him to introduce himself. 

The moehog sighed softly, glancing at the bush he had been pulled out of and then resting his gaze on Brea. 

"I'm Rayzial." Brea visibly cringed...he reminded her to much of Raziel_Draven, one of her lost pets, and the one that had had the most similarities to her. Rayzial forged ahead, oblivious. "The fireball is Enkou, my petpet. And that..." He motioned towards the Horus, which was gazing at them with sharp eyes. "Is Praier." 

Brea raised an eyebrow at the revelation. 

"You have two petpet's?" 

Rayzial again glanced around, and lowered his voice to a near whisper. 

"No, I don't. But I swore I wouldn't tell. They'll send us to the pound, and he wouldn't survive there. He certainly wouldn't survive without me. Promise you won't make me go!" Rayzial's eyes were drawn to the bush as a rather unhealthy moan escaped whatever was in it. Just as Brea began to agree, she was again interrupted, this time by the same zombie-looking Zebba that she had seen earlier in the market. He was walking around the clearing, mumbling. As he drew closer, Brea finally deciphered his words. 

"Brains...must find brains for ze mistress!!" It walked around the clearing, ever repeating the phrase. 

"Brains!!" It came face to face with Rayzial, blinking it's large eyes, before turning on it's heels and continuing on. "Need brains!" Brea rolled her eyes, dropping the fireball in front of the moehog and seizing the Zebba by it's furry blue mane. 

"This a friend of yours too, Raze?" She asked sarcastically, pointing at the fly-like creature. 

"Brains. I need zem." 

"I'm aware, fly boy. Why are you in such desperate need of brains?" Brea was beginning to get a little bit frustrated with how confusing things were becoming, and she wanted some answers. Right away. 

The Zebba squirmed around to look at her before replying. 

"For ze mistress." Without another word, he twisted around a bit Brea's hand firmly, causing her to cry out in pain and to loosen her grip. He took the opportunity to fly off quickly, still mumbling about brains and mistresses. 

"What a little fricking idiot-brat!" Brea nearly screamed, clutching her hand in pain. "If you knew that freak of nature then I'm not sure I want to know ANYTHING else about you!" Rayzial's eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly. 

"Only Enkou, Praier and Seyriff!" He declared. The Horus let out an unhappy screech. The Enkou's eyes widened considerably, quite a feat since the eyes were already nearly half the size of his body. And Rayzial clapped his hoofs over his eyes. 

"I shouldn't have said that." 

**Author's Notes~** Ahh...finally have some Neopets in the story! Lessee...next chapter will have an explanation of a few things, including who Seyriff is, why he and Raze are strays, and so on. The Zebba will be popping up through the next few chapters a bit, but won't really become a big part of the story until...later. Yeah. I've decided that the final cast (The major characters and major-supporting characters) will consist of 11, not including petpets since most of them won't have a huge impact. 3 humans, the rest Neopets...3 lupes, 1 moehog, 1 aisha, 1 gelert, 1 eyrie, and 1 acara. Thanks for the reviews so far, and sorry this chapter took longer ^_~ 


	6. Seyriff

Brea raised one eyebrow in Rayzial's direction, her sharp, purple eyes traveling from the fire moehog, to Enkou, to Praier...and then settling on the bush that was still letting out unhealthy moans. 

"Care to tell me who Seyriff is?" She asked finally, after letting out a soft sigh and shaking her head to clear it from the confusions that were bombarding from every side. Rayzial stared stonily at a rock that suddenly seemed to draw his interest, pawing the ground in fury and shame, and replied in a small voice. 

"I've already said to much. Can't believe I broke a promise so easily...what's wrong with me?!" The baby fireball sidled up beside him, rubbing against his short legs as if to comfort him. Brea grumbled unhappily, walking towards the bush with her arm outstretched. Praier gave out a terribly high-pitched screech, but Brea shot him a furious glare and continued on. 

She spread apart the thick branches of the bush slowly, bending down to catch a glance at what was inside...as soon as she saw it, one of her hands shot to her mouth and her eyes opened wide. 

"He won't make it another night without medical attention!!" She cried, turning to Rayzial quickly. The moehog's black eye's were large and sorrowful, filled with pain for his friend. 

"I...I know." He admitted sadly, looking away from Brea. Without another word, Brea reached into the bush and carefully extricated the creature that was concealed there. When she backed away, she held a medium-sized shadow gelert that was absolutely covered in cuts, scrapes and gashes. 

"I'm taking him to the Healing Springs." Brea announced, turning on her heels and walking towards the exit to the clearing. 

"NO! Once their done with him, they'll take him straight away to the pound!" Rayzial argued, running ahead to block her path. 

"Would it be better that he should die?!" Brea's eyes blazed as she looked at the moehog. No doubt he wanted what was best for his friend, but to risk death simply to avoid being in the pound for a few days before finding a family...

"If she finds us again, I don't doubt that we ALL will! Better to die out of her clutches!" Tears were matting the black and orange fur on the moehogs face as he spoke, his voice breaking as he finished. Brea's eyebrows drew together as she looked at Rayzial, trying to decipher what he meant. She was no closer to a conclusion 5 minutes later, when Aerik strode into the clearing, a proud skunk lupess and a tiny tiger-like gruslen at his side. He beheld the scene with curiosity, his eyes betraying a sense of confusion. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, another human stepped into the clearing...a mousy man, bearing a large net and dressed in a white jumpsuit. 

His mouth stretched into a grin as he looked at the moehog, and he whispered, almost to himself, 

"A pets's withs no owner?" 

"He's mine!!" Brea and Aerik snapped simultaneously, drawing the man's attention to them immediately. 

"Both of yours's?" He asked suspiciously, his eyes darting from Brea to Aerik and back again. Aerik caught Brea's eye, giving her a nearly imperceptible and rather panicked shrug. 

"What we meant..." Brea started, looking at the man with narrowed eyes. "Was that the moehog and the fireball are mine, and the gelert and the horus are his." She finished with a firm nod, passing Seyriff over to Aerik to give the story more credibility. The man still didn't seem satisfied though, and he tightened his grip on the net. 

"Whys was you holding hims?" The man asked, glaring at the shadowed gelert. 

"I don't _think_ that that's any of your business, sir. Now if you'll please go look for strays elsewhere, it would be ever so appreciated." 

The man gave a defeated shrug and walked away slowly, mumbling sadly to himself. 

"A high prices thems would have gots at the pound, thems would have." Brea watched after him until he disappeared into the woods, and quite suddenly double over in laughter, pointing in the direction he had left. Aerik's deep laugh soon joined hers, and Rayzial watched them with his mouth opened in horror. 

"He nearly _kidnapped_ me, and all you can do is _laugh_?!" He cried furiously, stomping at the ground and flaring his nostrils. Brea managed to pull a straight face for long enough to reply. Her voice came in a strained whisper, mimicking the NeoCatcher. 

"Yeses, its is quites funny." This brought on a new wave of laughter from Aerik, who had just been quieting down. Rayzial gave an unhappy snort and walked over to Aerik, butting him in the leg. 

"If you aren't going to help us, at least give me my friend back before some other freak comes along, wanting to take us to the pound. All that shaking probably doesn't make him feel all the great, you know." Aerik's laughter stopped abruptly, and he took a moment to look down at the gelert in his arms. His smile slowly flipped over, turning into a sorrowful frown, as his eyes traced the gashes covering the gelert's body. 

"What _happened_ to him?" He asked softly, his green eyes slipping over to meet the moehog's black ones. 

"That doesn't matter right now, Aer...we can get answers after we've taken care of Seyriff. Transports to Faerieland run every 5 minutes from the Central Docks...the faster we get there, the better." Though Brea desperately wanted to know why Rayzial and his friend were hiding by the well, and who exactly they were hiding from, she realized that the young gelerts health was much more important then her being well informed. Aerik nodded his head solemnly, and Iomegyn, who had been watching the exchange with sharp, green eyes that matched her masters, turned towards the clearings exit after picking up the gruslen by the loose skin around it's neck. . 

They set off immediately towards the nearest Central Dock, usually only a 3 minute walk away from the wishing well...but it was the day before Thanksgiving, and the crowds pressed in dangerously at all sides, blocking their path at every turn. A familiar sense of nausea washed over Brea as she was jostled from side to side by the crowd, rushing to buy Thanksgiving food and surprises, and she hurried forward to walk closely behind Aerik. Rayzial was trotting furiously to keep up with the young man's long strides, Enkou perched precariously on his back as he galloped along. 

All of them were in such a hurry that they didn't notice the menacingly tall woman with short purplish-black hair and wings that were tucked behind her. That didn't keep her from noticing them though, and as the walked past her eyes narrowed to slits, her mouth stretching into a diabolical grin. 

**Author's Notes~** Ok, I didn't get as much in this chapter as I had hoped, and it would have been longer except that it's already taken forever for me to get this out...sorry, but it's been a busy couple weeks, and I'm having another bout of writer's block/my-writing-sucksism, and all the other horribly wonderful things that come along with writing. Hope you like it, and I'll try to hurry up with the next chapter :-) 


	7. Absence Explained

**To all of my loyal fans~> **Heh...yeah right :-P Well anyway, for anybody who's wondering why there haven't been updates (In case, by some miracle, somebody has even noticed ^_~) I decided I'd give a quick explanation. As I got further in this story, the original plot line changed, as did the final personalities of some of the characters. I could have worked it in, but to have a truly decent story I wanted to have hints of character's pasts earlier, and therefore, **I've decided to do a complete rewrite of what has been completed so far. **The story itself will probably remain similar, but I'm hoping to have more description, a better written story, and more believable character development. For example...Brea came to trust Aerik, and vice versa, far to completely and quickly considering their pasts, which will be touched on later. With the rewrite, their relationship will, hopefully, be much more tentative and cautious, not quite so...erm...perfect? Yeah. 

I'm going to upload all of the new chapters at once so that the story fits together better; therefore, this will be the last update for a long time. A prologue, as well as most of Chapter One, is completed, but lately I've been much more inspired to write short stories and work on my fantasy series, Guardians of the Realm, that has been under construction for around 2 years. This story has not, however, been abandoned, so don't loose hope O.o Until next time!!

-SailorPhi


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